Happy New Year! 2013 was certainly an interesting year for me personally and for the New Jersey Credit Union League as well. Actually, for me, I’d say “exciting” would be a more appropriate adjective.

The tail end of ’13 was hectic, to be sure. We prepared and finalized our 2014 budget and strategic initiatives, got the cuGreenLoans pilot off the ground, celebrated the holidays, and continued to spend a significant amount of time with our credit unions throughout the state. That said, I’m not one for excuses, so I’ll simply acknowledge the fact that I did not post to this blog in December.

As for 2014 and those strategic initiatives…this is where I sense the adjective “exciting” applies for all of us here at NJCUL. In August, we started to formally put the wheels in motion to identify what we can and should be doing differently, through all-staff strategic dialogue sessions. We spent a considerable amount of time discussing what we have heard from you, the credit union professionals of New Jersey, relative to our offerings. The NJCUL Board of Directors held a strategic planning session in October, which provided focus as we honed our strategy relative to our vision. Internally, we have processed our ideas in several iterations and have continued the dialogue on an ongoing basis.

Some of our initiatives will see implementation in 2014, while others are being developed to set the stage for what will come in 2015 and beyond. While not putting the cart before the horse with specifics, it is safe to say that we are working on some significant additions to the Banking You Can Trust campaign, designed to drive specific value for affiliated credit unions in terms of promotion and member acquisition. Outreach efforts will be increased in an effort to gather greater insight into the issues most important to you and processes will be implemented to ensure those issues become the focal points that drive NJ EDGE, PLAN, and READ. We will review our business partner platform to identify ways in which we can drive additional value for our affiliates. Metrics are being developed to quantify your involvement and engagement in League-driven opportunities, so that we may more formally recognize your contributions to the credit union community as a whole. I could go on, but the point here is to provide the sketch, not paint the picture.

As we look ahead to 2014, I see opportunity. As many of us have done in recent weeks, literally, the League has figuratively filled its plate full. But we have done so thoughtfully and with purpose, so we are able to accomplish the goals we have set forth. When the annual calendar turns again in just under 12 months, I hope you will look back at the year that was, relative to what we accomplished and positioned at the League and find amongst the adjectives that come to mind…“exciting.”